GRUPPENFüHRER (literally "group leader") was an early paramilitary
rank of the
Nazi PartyNazi Party (NSDAP), first created in 1925 as a senior rank
of the SA . The term
GruppenführerGruppenführer is also used for leaders of
groups/teams of the police, fire departments, and several other
organizations.

In 1930,
GruppenführerGruppenführer became an SS rank and was originally bestowed
upon those officers who commanded SS-Gruppen and also upon senior
officers of the SS command staff. In 1932, the SS was reorganized and
the SS-Gruppen were reformed into SS-Abschnitte . A Gruppenführer
commanded an SS-Abschnitt while a new rank, that of Obergruppenführer
, oversaw the SS-Oberabschnitte which were the largest SS units in
Germany.